Cooking

Anyone who knows me knows I hate baking. I love baked goods, obviously, but I can’t deal with the amount of precision that most baking requires. I know it’s all about the science of the desired chemical reactions, which should be a cool thing to engage in. Instead it’s just kind of a drag because I generally don’t like using recipes (let alone measuring cups/spoons), and the control freak in me really hates that once it’s in the oven, it’s basically game over and there’s little you can do to fix or enhance the dish. Moreover, when dealing with yeast, you’re talking about keeping things alive (which I really suck at) and extended periods of inactivity on the part of the cook,...

Related "Cooking" Articles

Anyone who knows me knows I hate baking. I love baked goods, obviously, but I can’t deal with the amount of precision that most baking requires. I know it’s all about the science of the desired chemical reactions, which should be a cool thing to...

Cooking with cannabis has always been part of weed culture, and there’s no shortage of resources, recipes, and forums, especially in recent years with marijuana reform becoming a reality. Most folks with an even passing acquaintance with the plant...

It was clear from the first course that dinner at Arômes (3520 Chestnut Ave., [410] 235-0035, aromesrestaurant.com) would be a delight: a small plate of perfectly pillowy gnocchi, topped with a foamy brown-butter sauce. It sounds simple, but this...

The best Chinese food in Baltimore isn’t really in Baltimore. It’s housed in a nondescript strip mall, sandwiched between a beauty salon and a Cluck-U chicken wings franchise. Because parking at the North Odenton Plaza is in a rear lot, we enter the...

When you walk into Azumi (725 Aliceanna St., [443] 220-0477, azumirestaurant.com), one of the first things you see is a starkly lit row of orange Japanese kanji characters above the bar that roughly translates to “In order to catch a tiger’s cub, you must...

Franco’s Italian Bistro (803-805 Frederick Road, Catonsville, [410] 788-0075, francosofcatonsville.com) is the newest restaurant to open on Catonsville’s main drag. The owners have been successfully running the Italian restaurant, Gianni’s, in a Home...

I live for food TV. Ted Allen on “Chopped” is reason enough to spring for cable (or, um, to ask sweetly to “borrow” your parents’ Comcast login). You can keep your Angelina Jolies and Brad Pitts—the celebrities who make my heart skip are the Alex...

1157 Bar and Kitchen
1157 Haubert St., (443) 449-5525
$$, D
This new project from Salt’s chef Jason Ambrose is a small space—there are only 30 or so seats—with a small menu to match. Mostly consisting of small plates, the menu draws inspiration from...

An Poitin Stil
2323 York Road, Timonium, (410) 560-7900, thestilltimonium.com
$$, L, D, BR, P, Out, 10 p.m., DV
Your nicely appointed sit-down place where you can get an Irish stew or a quesadilla while enjoying the live music and the fireplace. Strong...

Banditos has been hawking tacos and tequila in Federal Hill since 2012. While we recognize both of those as dietary staples, Banditos didn’t seem to distinguish itself from the rest of the drunk-eating offerings that fill Federal Hill, and it wasn’t...

Ah, carbonara, one of my all-time favorites. Simple yet composed, cheap, quick, pretty easy but still fun to make, and hits all of the major hunger voids all at once: pork, cheese, salt, rich, starch, garlic, pepper. Yeah. A tip for those wanting to...

I was a vegetarian from early childhood until about six years ago (a long story involving the Sonoma County Fair’s petting zoo and an ill-timed slice of pepperoni pizza). Even today, though I do enjoy meat, the person I share most of my meals...

Cooking seasonally often calls for an added measure of resourcefulness. Wintertime, in particular, can test one’s culinary ingenuity. Asparagus, ramps, and greens are still months away, but experimenting with the unusual can reignite your...

I resolve to cook more in 2015.
I know that sounds absurd, since you are reading my column all about cooking, but hear me out.
I want to cook more, better, and more deeply in 2015. I want to eat real, whole, lovingly prepared food, even when I’m...

In the last five years Baltimore has upped its culinary game considerably. So much so that the makeup of many new restaurants seems to be getting formulaic: farm-to-table, check; artisanal cocktails with handmade bitters, check; perfectly precious...

Fluidity within the restaurant industry is commonplace, but this year's been such a veritable musical chairs of chef changes, it's been hard to keep up. Tim Dyson moved from Bluegrass to Dooby's, Chris Amendola went from Fleet Street Kitchen to Bookmakers...